Celebrating Togetherness – Multi-Generational Design Solutions

by Paul Foresman | Feb 15, 2021 | HER Home

Arloene moved in with her adult son after falling and breaking her hip. Tom moved in with his adult daughter after his wife passed away and the loneliness was just too much. Lori and her young son moved back in with her parents when her marriage didn’t work out. Jeanne dreamed of sharing their home so that her children would grow up and really get to know her aging parents. Lois and Roger, on a fixed income and with a home that was paid for but in need of repairs, had a lot to offer their son’s family who enjoyed a good, steady income, yet wasn’t able to stash much away for a down payment on a home of their own.

“In 2016, a record 64 million people, or 20% of the U.S. population, lived with multiple generations under one roof.” – PEW Research Center. In 1980, the same study showed that number was just 12% of the U.S. population, and in light of the Coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, the number is surely even higher today. In light of the growing popularity, we present this two-part series on multi-generational home design.

Along with its 2-car garage version (plan #42229 at just 42-feet wide) the Cedar Glen II (plan #42369 3-car) is Design Basics’ most popular multi-generational home plan. In fact, the Cedar Glens are Design Basics’ best-selling of all of our home plans over the last couple years! The two full, main-floor bedroom suites accommodate both adult generations nicely, with secondary bedrooms upstairs for the kids/grandkids. Togetherness is assured with this plan’s open entertaining area, yet all of the bedrooms are split apart for the privacy we each need, too. Also contributing to the home’s attractiveness is its cost. Many families choose to live as multi-generational households out of a desire to pool their financial resources. With a straightforward foundation, streamlined structural layout, and simple gable rooflines, this value-engineered design is also cost-efficient to build.

Note: All plans shown feature interior passage doors that are at least 32”-wide and the option of a no-step entry at the front door as well as from the garage for enhanced accessibility.

(Click on images to enlarge.)

Bedroom locations are one of the most important determinants of finding the right multi-generational home design. Ranch plans such as the Kinney Farm, (#42462), place all of the bedrooms on the home’s main floor. Solitude in this design is maximized by the positioning of all three bedrooms. With so many windows, the socializing area of this home lifts the spirit. Gatherings are further enhanced with the availability of the 16-foot covered deck/patio or use this space to simply relax and appreciate nature.

Alternately, some multi-generational households are looking for one of the suites on the first floor, and another suite upstairs, such as in the Dillon Park (plan #42477). The older generation, typically choosing the main floor suite, is mostly spared daily treks up and down the stairs. With only one main floor suite, such layouts can provide more generous gathering areas while still controlling the home’s overall width and depth. Denoted in this plan as a Family Lounge, buyers favoring one of the suites on the second floor have also expressed interest in a convenient upstairs area for game playing, reading, study, or just enjoying time to themselves.

Some home designs offer excellent potential for meeting the desires of multi-generational buyers. As originally designed, the 1,994 square foot, 3-bedroom Windsor Cottage (plan #42226) is a 2-story home with 3-car tandem garage. But in lieu of the deep tandem garage stall, it can be built with a private first-floor suite – as shown in the Windsor Cottage (plan #42226-4 Bed), coming in at 2,272 finished square feet.

While these designs have proven popular with many of our customers, some buyers are looking for both the shared living areas AND a private living area for the second suite – a design amenity we look at closer in our next post.

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Custom Home Design Basics

by Paul Foresman | Feb 8, 2021 | HER Home

When existing home plans, even with modifications, won’t work for you, it’s time for a custom-designed plan. Several options exist, each with its own benefits. You may be most comfortable working with a local designer across the table, face-to-face. Another advantage can be their knowledge of local building code requirements and plan compliance. And you may meet with your designer at your future homesite if you have a unique or challenging piece of ground. On the downside, local firms may not have the breadth of experience nor knowledge of the design features, amenities, and solutions that you would later regret not having had the opportunity to consider in your new home.

Choosing a national design firm means tapping into to their vast knowledge of design and innovative problem solving derived from their experience working all over the country. Your meetings will likely be online rather than in-person, but these can actually be more convenient than trying to coordinate numerous schedules.

Whereas a pre-drawn plan you can get within a few hours might run $1,000 – $1,500, custom home plan prices range from a low of about $.60 per square foot to as much as 3%-5% of your home’s price and may take a few weeks to a few months to develop. Expect design fees to loosely correlate with the quality of the designs, quality of the final construction drawings, the designer’s experience and creativity, and level of services included. Yes, you likely could save some money on plans by selecting the low-priced draftsperson/designer, but you may end up paying higher construction costs associated with a design, which is not as well-thought out. Simply, at the cheap end, such firms don’t pay high enough wages to attract accomplished design pros. You can expect design fees from talented designers to start about $2 per finished square foot.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Price will be one consideration when selecting your home designer. $1,250 for a pre-drawn plan equals ¼ of 1% of a $500,000 home. At $2/sq. ft., that 2500 sq. ft. home plan would cost $5,000, just 1% of the home’s price. Or a $15,000 plan – 3% of the home’s price – what’s the value of the ideal design, a home that lives the way you want, as compared to spending a little less, but having to live with regrets?

Yes, Her Home™ is published by Design Basics, and admittedly biased. Shaped by decades of customer feedback and input, our firm has been designed around what our customers want and value. There are many fine residential designers, we hope that you will contact us to design your new home!

The accompanying chart can help you think through some of the most important considerations when it comes to selecting who will design your new home. What is the designer’s reputation and what are they known for? How experienced are they with designing homes as compared to other structures? What information/education can they provide, equipping you to make wise, informed decisions and ultimately achieve the home you want AND the best value?

Download a PDF copy to use for your new home designer selection!

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Thoughtful Design Concepts

Cover photo: <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/photos/business’>Business photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

Choosing the Right Flooring for Your Bathroom

by Paul Foresman | Feb 3, 2021 | HER Home

Vinyl? Tile? Wood? Laminates? The newer Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) or Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)? What’s the right choice for your new bathroom? Her Home™ Magazine recently posed that question to Joe Dubsky, Manager for Thornton Flooring (Sioux City, Iowa, branch). Based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Thornton Flooring is one of the Midwest’s largest flooring retailers.

Of today’s popular flooring materials, Dubsky quickly dismissed wood as an option for bathroom flooring due to wood’s inherent problems with getting wet. Both solid hardwood and engineered wood planks will swell and “cup” from water absorption, ruining the floor. Similarly, some laminate manufacturers discourage its use for bathroom flooring due to water intrusion issues.

The remaining choices basically come down to aesthetics, durability, and budget.

Traditional sheet vinyl flooring is available in a wide range of attractive colors and patterns, including replicating natural stone and hardwood. Glued-in-place as one continuous piece, sheet vinyl offers excellent resistance to water damage. Relatively easy-care, sheet vinyl is often the least expensive flooring option, with pricing and durability typically varying depending on the thickness of the material and the thickness of its (top) wear layer. Thicker vinyl flooring, while more expensive, generally offers greater scuff and gouge resistance as well as longer warranties.

Luxury Vinyl Sheet flooring is at the high-end of vinyl roll flooring. It may be twice the thickness of cheaper vinyl flooring, warmer and softer, and more comfortable underfoot as well as significantly quieter. Dubsky likes the Beauflor® Blacktex HD Luxury Vinyl Roll, stating, “It’s much more durable than traditional vinyl sheet flooring, but less than LVP.” Beauflor’s Blacktex HD is backed by a lifetime residential warranty, compared to the more typical 10-year limited residential warranties common to traditional sheet vinyl.

(Photo courtesy: BeauFlor)

LVT/LVP/WPC/SPC has quickly become the choice of builders and home buyers alike. Essentially identical except for appearance (LVT looks like ceramic tile, LVP looks like wood plank), these products offer comfort, excellent performance, and amazing realism. The core material is typically considered waterproof varying from a vinyl plastic, wood plastic composite (WPC), or even a stone composite core (SPC), the latter being harder and better able to handle temperature extremes, which might be important if your bathroom sits atop an unheated garage. Typically, beneath the core is an attached foam pad, contributing to the comfort and warmth, and according to Dubsky, superior sound deadening. The printed layer, atop the core material, is protected by a wear layer that provides a hard scratch-, stain-, and scuff-resistant protective coating, measured in mils. Dubsky advises looking at the wear layer and the overall thickness of the product when considering LV products, “Wear layers are commonly 12 mil to 30 mil. I like to recommend 12-20 mil thick wear layers for homes.”

“Some LVP is smooth, while some is embossed in register, with indentations giving it the feel of natural wood or tile as well as added depth and texture.” Dubsky pointed to a less expensive LVP’s woodgrain and a knot, printed in high definition, which looked exactly like authentic wood planks. Yet its uniform smoothness, especially in that knot area, detracted from the authenticity of actual wood. The embossed in register LVP wherein the feel and texture, particularly in the knot area, was virtually indistinguishable from wood flooring. Dubsky mentioned that the embossed in register LVP was also a bit more slip-resistant, which can be an important factor in bathroom floor choice.

Selecting your flooring for your bathroom can be fun and easy. With today’s technology, many manufacturers offer tools to help you visualize your dreams. Many companies have a room scene visualizer where you can take a photo of your room, select your style and color, and even choose the direction to run your flooring.

As with other vinyl flooring, LVP and LVT prices also tend to vary by thickness of the product. The product has caught on with applications throughout the home, not just in bathrooms. Unlike sheet vinyl’s low-price stigma, for its many practical and aesthetic advantages, LVT and LVP is finding its way into million-dollar homes, often replacing what would have been hardwood and tile floors. Importantly, luxury vinyl planks and tiles, if damaged, can be replaced and sometimes even repaired. In contrast, gouged or otherwise damaged sheet vinyl must be fully replaced.

Ceramic and porcelain tile have long been the go-to choice for custom bathrooms. Both are clay-based, but the clay used in porcelain tile is more dense and more refined. Porcelain tile is also fired at hotter temperatures for a longer period of time, making it harder, more durable, and impervious to water. Due to the materials used and manufacturing process, Dubsky notes, “Porcelain tiles are generally a little more expensive than ceramic, but basically, color dictates most people’s tile selection.” Ceramic is also water-resistant, but more porous than porcelain. While generally a fine choice for bathroom floors, there is a chance of liquid spills staining a ceramic tile, even with the glaze.

Porcelain or ceramic, most tiles are printed with what is essentially a high definition ink-jet process; then the glazing, where an enamel or liquid glass top coating is applied. That glaze protects the tile and its printed surface and may be either a gloss (shiny) or matte (dull) finish. Some tiles also have a slip-resistant texture, which can be especially important for the elderly. Often tile-floor bathrooms also feature tile shower and tub surrounds as well as tile wall accents. Dubsky has found that one porcelain importer (Happy Floors) offers porcelain tile that matches up well to their LVT products, so his customers can enjoy the benefits of both products in their bathroom.

“Tile has stood the test of time,” Dubsky said, “but it is at the high-end of bathroom flooring choices.” One other drawback is that tile floors can feel quite cold to walk on. For that reason, he often installs Schluter® Systems in-floor electric heating underneath tile bathroom floors. In-floor heating can be surprisingly inexpensive when done at the time of construction.

So, what is the right choice of flooring for your bathroom? Check out MSI’s BathRoom Visualizer Tool – visualize backsplash, wall tile, and floor tile options. Use this quick tool to mix and match your choice of colors to visualize the ideal bathroom. With a simple click—email, print, or save your favorites to help in making final selections. (Photo courtesy: MSI)

Again, it comes down to the look and performance you want, and price considerations. The following chart may help guide your decision.

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Cover photo: BeauFlor

Building a New Home – First Things First

by Paul Foresman | Feb 1, 2021 | HER Home

You’re finally going to build a new home – Yay! But where do you start? Find your builder? Contact a real estate agent? Pre-qualify for your mortgage? Find your homesite?

Your specific situation can affect how that question is answered. You may already own a building lot, perhaps the reason you want to move is to reside within a certain school district, or maybe you’ve already established your new home budget. Still, though we may be a bit biased, finding or developing the home plan may be a wise first step, because it has tremendous impact on everything else.

Home plans are like the hub of a bicycle wheel – with all of its spokes connecting you with everyone involved, from the builder and sub-contractors, to lenders, building officials, the developer, and product suppliers. With plans in hand, you can get bids, verify you’re within your budget; secure financing; identify one or more builders who would be a good fit; and ensure that the design meets the architectural guidelines and covenants for where you want to live.

Of course, many things should be considered when selecting or developing your home plans. Does the lot you own or have picked out restrict the home design in any way? For example, some neighborhoods require all masonry finishes on the front. That will affect your home’s cost. Similarly, it does no good to fall in love with a plan that is too wide for your building lot. Using a ballpark “cost per square foot” can help you keep within your budget. After looking at other new construction homes in your area, if you see prices are running around $200 per finished square foot and you have set a budget of $500,000 for your home, that math suggests finding a plan that is about 2,500 square feet or smaller.

Finding or developing your home plan.

This may be easy, as the builder you choose may have a home design you really like. Or, they may have a designer on staff who will design your home as part of the process. But often that’s not the case. Many home buyers start by searching for home plans online. Such online searches can be fun, but with tens of thousands of plans online, this can also be daunting. If you find a pre-drawn home plan that matches what you’re looking for, fantastic! It can be a great value based on their low price, immediate turn-around, and quality construction drawings. For an additional fee, many residential design firms will also modify their pre-drawn plans to incorporate your specific changes that would make the plan perfect for you.

Still, pre-drawn plans may not be the right solution for everyone. Some areas require an engineering stamp or architectural seal on home plans that is typically not available with pre-drawn plans. In such jurisdictions you will need to also find an engineer or architect to review and stamp the plans. Also, a pre-drawn plan may need to be reviewed and possibly modified to ensure compliance with all local codes. It is wise to contact your local building department regarding home plan requirements before buying a home plan. Or you simply may not be able to find an existing home design that looks and lives the way you want.

It may be that working with a design professional to develop a custom home design is your best choice. In our next post we discuss how to choose your designer to achieve the home plan of your dreams!

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Embrace Women’s Preferences

by Paul Foresman | Jan 25, 2021 | HER Home

It’s a marketing trifecta: “know thy customer”; industry leadership; and having the best products and services. Each of those three distinctions is a powerful reason for home buyers to choose a particular builder. Combined, they make the case that that builder is remarkable.

The intersection of those three distinctions can happen when a builder truly comes to embrace women’s preferences in the home. As detailed in previous blog posts, women think differently about their homes than their male counterparts. For many home builders, that begins with developing a keener understanding of what women generally want and expect when purchasing and building a new home.

That’s also the starting point of Woman-Centric Matters!®, Design Basics’ holistic program for helping builders transform their businesses around women’s choices. Beyond merely learning about women’s preferences through onsite training, builders who enroll in this program put these newfound insights into practice companywide. Every member of the builder’s team identifies goals – ways they themselves could positively impact the experiences women home buyers have with that company. From cleaner jobsites to more livable home designs, improved communications to outstanding warranty service, such builders put “knowing thy customer” into action.

Home buyers and real estate sales professionals notice, appreciate, and come to prefer to do business with Woman-Centric home builders. In recognizing and connecting with how Woman-Centric home builders and the homes they build are different, people come to ascribe leadership with this Woman-Centric approach. And they tell others. Woman-Centric home builders enjoy high levels of word-of-mouth accolades and referrals. Buyers in particular come to appreciate how Woman-Centric home builders have focused on taking the entire customer experience from stressful to delightful.

Search more than 700 Woman-Centric home designs on DesignBasics.com.

Woman-Centric home plans are perceived as different and better. That’s not surprising, since customer feedback, mostly from women, inspired our designers to develop innovative solutions to the real-world challenges and opportunities women discussed with us. Complimenting the home design is a new appreciation for the included products, as well as options and upgrades available, found in Woman-Centric homes. From products that give back a little more time to healthier and greener options, Woman-Centric home builders strive to educate home buyers about the choices they can make, helping those buyers make wise, informed decisions and get the best new home value.

Already working with a certified Woman-Centric Matters! home builder? Congratulations! Looking for a Woman-Centric home builder in your area? Check our Find a Builder page and look for the Woman-Centric Matters! logo (shown in the Marketing Trifecta image above) next to the builder name. No Woman-Centric home builder in your area? Have the builder you want to work with contact Design Basics about how we can help them and help you get a better home, because you deserve a Woman-Centric Home!

For more resources on thoughtful design and products:

View other articles on our blog
Browse our Her Home™ Magazine
Thoughtful Design Concepts

Celebrating Togetherness – Multi-Generational Design Solutions

Custom Home Design Basics

Choosing the Right Flooring for Your Bathroom

Building a New Home – First Things First

Finding or developing your home plan.

Embrace Women’s Preferences

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